Julie Claire Hesmondhalgh (born 25 February 1970) is an English actress, known for her role as Hayley Cropper in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street between 1998 and 2014. For this role, she won Best Serial Drama Performance at the 2014 National Television Awards and Best Actress at the 2014 British Soap Awards.

Biography

Hesmondhalgh is married to actor and writer Ian Kershaw. The couple live near Glossop, Derbyshire with their daughter, Martha Mo Kershaw, who was born in October 2001. She is a supporter of Manchester City and the Labour Party.


Charity work
As well as working to raise funds for other charities, such as Mood Swings Network and the Parkinson's Disease Society, Hesmondhalgh is a patron of the following charities and groups: Trans Media Watch, Press for Change, the Albert Kennedy Trust, Maundy Relief, Exodus Onstage, British Humanist Association, and the Manchester Lesbian and Gay Foundation. She also supported the Elizabeth Finn Care 'Wrap Up Against Poverty' campaign by donating a red anorak (in the style of her Coronation Street character Hayley Cropper) for auction by the charity.